Missing
by kittenrocs
Summary: Since their last mission Haise Sasaki has been missing, the other proclaim he's deceased but Saiko is positive that something more sinister is being kept under wraps. With a slightly hesitant Tooru at her side she begins an investigation of her own, to bring back Sassan, or what's left of him. (Chap 1 is purposely vague xD)
1. Chapter 1

_Kit: An attempt to get back into writing- Some of it's OOC and I'm sorry for that ;w; I was kinda trying to feel what It'd be like in her shoes- D; ~ Wasn't as long as I'd hoped it to be but hopefully the next will be longer, enjoy ~ _

* * *

He restrained her, arms wound rigidly around her shoulders; holding her captive. "We have no choice," A baritone voice barked, accompanied by a gesture of retreat.

She writhed wildly against her restraints, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes; they were going to abandon him. "He's still in there!" She shrieked, her captor's arms only securing her once more; this time more firmly.

"His sacrifice won't be in vain.." He murmured, cautious that only she was in ear shot. She convulsed, grief blinding her; obscuring her scene of reasoning "We've got to go back in there! He's still alive! We have to save him!"

"Chief?" He peered at their superior for guidance, he simply dismissed the blundering female as nothing but a nuisance.

"Knock her out," a monotonous instruction resonated through her head but before she had a chance to respond her world was rapidly descending into darkness.

XXXXX  
XXX  
X  
XXX  
XXXXX

"We are gathered here today to share our mourning for the fallen, those lost to the war we wage. We're here to remember them as they were and what they've left behind for us remaining-"

The service was dreary, the clouds that obscured the sun promised rain in the coming hours and Saiko found herself regretting being hauled out to the function.

"You may now approach the caskets," One by one they approached the coffins, lowering their heads in grief; murmuring soft words of sorrow.

But they didn't say anything, his cadaver was not among the others. Sasaki Haise, Leaders of the CCG's Quinx squad; for them, there would be no mourning.

She, like the other surviving Quinx had been ushered into silence, bribed to simply be as the others were and mourn, not mentioning what had occurred during that one particular mission.

These were dark times, the darkest in a long period- Where many of the CCGs officers met their untimely demise- And the Quinx's ranks were no different. She'd watched her team mates fall in battle, one after the other; like dominos..

First Ginshi, then Urie and now... Now Sassan was gone as well- Part of her wanted to turn to Tooru for condolences but the other part of her acknowledge how fruitless such would be; so instead she grasped her arm and stared vacantly at the wooden death-beds that protruded through damp emerald and promised herself something- She wouldn't allow this to happen again...

XXXXX  
XXX  
X  
XXX  
XXXXX

"Saiko-san?" An apprehensive voice fell upon the female's ears, her fingers hesitating momentarily over the key-pad of her PSP, dis-interest carved across her visage and for a brief moment she contemplated ignoring the plea, one that followed many predecessors.

"We're being ordered to meet at Head Quarters... They want us to help out a-another squad..." Her stomach churned, images flashing through her subconscious that had her rolling on her side, begging such to dissipate into the vacant space that had became her mind over the passing weeks.

"They're worried about you, you know that right Saiko? I'm worried about you as well..." Mutsuki mumbled, resting his palm against the door, a soft sigh falling from his lips. His concern was justified, after all she'd missed every dinner he'd had- every guest who'd came over to offer their condolences, even him- She'd avoided him as if he were the plagued personified.

He noted many other things about her contorting also, pieces of her generally lethargic personality melded into something more dangerous "I'll just be waiting here... If you decide to come out- I'm leaving in half an hour... Alright? Saiko?"

She didn't answer, opting to bury herself under a heap of blankets; he couldn't be gone... Not Sassan, there had to be something wrong with this- Something very wrong... She didn't know what exactly and every time she stomached the idea that he was … She felt physically Ill... could it be true? That the individual that had protected them for so long, was … dead?

No..

Hesitantly she dragged herself from her haven, blanket draped across her shoulders; collecting various abandoned artifacts as it was hauled across her bedroom floor. Saiko splayed her hand across the door, pausing for a moment before speaking.

"Tooru?" She offered, silently awaiting his reply.

"S-Saiko? You're coming?"

"Sassan isn't dead... We have to find him..." She kept her voice low, shoulders slouched, her face almost burrowed into the wood. For a moment silence thick enough to suffocate someone hung between the two of them, but then he broke it.

"How can you say that..." A whimper, the sound of someone breaking "How can you say that he's still alive! Y-You heard what they said... Dead... Gone... not coming back..."

"You have to believe me," She insisted, her teeth indenting on her bottom lip "Just trust me... We... We can't just leave him like this,"

Tooru's voice fell off, sniffling accompanying his final reply "What do you want me to do...?


	2. Chapter 2

( Tooru's P.O.V)

x

Successfully Tooru had coxed the lethargic female from her den however such hadn't came for free, he'd had to conform completely to her almost unfounded scheme to recover their mentor. He'd accepted the passing of his comrades, despite the grave wounds it inflicted, despite the pain that resonated from his core making his chest ache- He'd been told that accepting it was the /only/ way to move on- But she'd offered him another option.

"..." Silently Saiko dragged on a pair of mis-matching socks, tying her laces haphazardly before sparing a fleeting, drowsy gaze in his direction "..." With a small nod he pried the door open, waiting for her to slip through the sliver before he to followed.

A taxi lingered out-side their apartment, camoflaguging with the day to-day life of those passing through; awaiting their arrival. As the two of them slipped in Saiko wavered, sparing a side-long glance in his direction and mouthed something that had his mind lingering on the edge 'I have something to tell you later...'

And then they eclipsed into silence and only the rumble of the engine dared sliced through such; even the radio seemed to settle with a dull hum rather than spattering any 'Popular' tunes.

Tooru's eyes lingered on the blurred shapes that whizzed past, each stirring up a different feeling in his chest; what if Sassan really was still alive- Why would they say he was dead- He placed his nail between his lips, biting down ever so slightly; what kind of reasoning could they possibly ha-

Abruptly the driver pulled to a halt outside of the HQ. The building itself was hardly descret, yet any regular individual would have passed it off as an office building, just as the others that resided in this district- It seemed to almost 'Fit in' despite it's actual reason for being.

"Have a nice day, Sir, Ma'am," The drive tipped his hat as the two departed, Tooru meeting him with an awkward smile of appreciation and before he knew it Saiko had vanished from his side, approaching the steps a few metres away "S-Saiko! Wait up!" He gaped, trotting to meet up with her.

They were met at the enterance by an attendeant; flaxen hair tied neatly into a bun, a smile plastered onto her made-up visage; for a moment Tooru thought she was truly glad to be greeting them but that quickly dissolved into acceptance that she was their guide and nothing else- Especially by the way she hastily ushered them toward the meeting room.

"You don't want to make the other's wait," She mused, heels clicking with each step and as they reached the door she quickly adjusted her vest, patted down her skirt and turned to them "Be ready, as far as I know they're in a foul mood-" The warning didn't fall on deaf ears and as she opened the door she offered a brief greeting and a smile before abandoning them.

"Rank 3 Investigators Saiko and Mutsuki, please take a seat," The voice belonged to an un-named figure who held an ambiance of authority, enough so that it sent shivers down his spine- Hastily Tooru claimed a seat beside Saiko and tuned in.

"As you a group of ghouls ranking from A class to SS class have been assembling of late and thus far we have no plausible explination as to why- So for now, our top priority is to elaborate upon such; then we'll make our next move, understood?"

Discussion rose between indivdual parties yet Tooru opted to remain silent, casting his gaze to Saiko who seemed completely immersed in something else- Something that had little to do with the gathering here and a whole lot to do with finding Sassan.

"There'll be another meeting called in the next fortnight, keep alert and report any findings to the lead investigators immidiently, dismissed."

Obidiently they filed out of the room in single file and it wasn't until they'd slid through those glass doors that Saiko pulled him to the side, fingers clasped tightly around his wrist; lurching him down to her height "Follow me-"

Abruptly she dragged him down the enterance path and around the corner, not pausing for a breath until they'd meandered about a block away and by then her rasps sounded almost un-natural "We need to... Go to the cafe... You know the one... The one that Sassan always liked to go to..." Tooru knew the cafe well but the fact that Saiko; who'd only briefly visisted the place once or twice remembered it etched a dedicated woman instead of a introverted gamer before him.

Hesitantly he nodded "Alright..." And with that their trek began.

xxx  
xx  
xxx

Saiko (P.O.V)

Log { Day 1}- We went to the coffee shop to meet up with Aoi, he gave him some basic information on the conflict that's been waging between the CCG and the Ghouls in the past month; he also reported various unusual activity within the Ghoul society.

Saiko tapped her pen on the edge of her pad pensively, staring across the table at the lanky youth, the majority of his face was masked by long crimson locks so it was difficult to make out his facial expression; she however was already positive of his authenticity.

"I see... Also," Beside her Tooru shifted uneasily, enough so that it made her words evade her- however she quickly recollected herself "Have you seen anyone recently who looks like this..." She withdrew a slightly crinkled image of their team, placing her index finger on Sassan.

Aoi squinted at the paper momentarily, scrutinizing it before finally glancing up and nodding "Yeah! I did! He was hanging around with a group of the migrators, I couldn't quite pin-point where they were headed though-"

Her chest fluttered and for a moment she was at a loss for words "If you can... Keep an eye on him for us..."

"And what's in it for me?" With a sigh she retreved a dvd from her tote bag "Limited edition, just like you asked-" It wasn't cheap to get her hands on such an item but for this kind of vital information sacrifices had to be made...

"And there's more where that came from if you continue with this.." She murmured, closing her bag and sparing a glance at the info-broker.

A grin blossomed across his face, tapping the dvd once against his cheek "Course, I'll get in touch as soon as I have something worth your while~" He slid out of the booth, the only sign that he was ever there was the resonating bell chime upon his depature.

XXXXX

XXX

XX

XXX

XXXXX

As they stepped outside Saiko was struck by the sudden chill, ominous clouds having consumed a once pristine sky during the brief time they'd been chatting with Aoi, with distaste she dragged her jacket further up her neck, shielding herself from such.

"Who was that guy?" Tooru asked, sparing her a side-ward glance as the two of them wandered toward a parked taxi "He's a information broker, trades rare items for information on just about anything," She paused for a moment "Ghouls included-"

To be honest she'd met him over some chat room involving one of their cases a while back and since then he'd been a reliable source of information. Tooru however, still appeared uneasy as they entered the cab, a wad of bills and their street address enough to have them back on track.

"He's still out there..." Tooru murmured, his eyes seemingly fixed on the faceless passers by outside; fingers curling then uncurling again and again; trying to come to terms with the lie that had been cast upon them by the other investigators.

"..." Saiko was silent fixing her gaze ahead- It wasn't a mystery that quite a few of their colleagues looked down on them for what they were- Unlike the others not all of the Quinx were adept fighters- chosen only for their compatibility- Like she was but to keep them in the blue about something so critical.. It was odd, that was for sure.

"And we're going to find him.." She offered under her breath when she finally spoke again, her hand touching Tooru's in a vauge attempt to ease his anxieties; that was when the phone in her pocket burst to life, chirping furiously-

Hastily she flipped it open, pressing loud speaker just in time to hear the boom of one of the head investigators "There's been a break in the case- Tomorrow at eight be at the office."


	3. Chapter 3

(Saiko P.O.V)

x

Sun light splintered through the blinds, casting eccentric patterns twirling across the floor boards and through her daze Saiko found herself pondering something- When exactly had she arrived here? Where was here?

She casted a lethargic glance over her shoulder, a familiar figure slouched over the couch beside her; breathing evenly, the only identifying feature being the scruffy locks of hair that peeped out of the top of the blanket-burrito.

"Tooru?" She mumbled, hauling herself across the floor, blanket strewn out behind her; a regal cloak sparkling in the morning's radiant hue. Again she repeated the name, tugging ever so slightly at the cocoon of linen.

A groan met her inquiry, the obscured figure gradually prying itself from the blanket's wrath and peering down at her; hair disheveled, dark rings emphasizing his lack of sleep "Saiko?" He rubbed at his eyes, squinting at her "What time is it..."

Hesitating, the gamer reached for her own sleeping station withdrawing what appeared to be her PSP; the screen lit up with the touch of a button and much to her dismay the words (Low battery) flickered atop, warning her of it's imminent demise if she not plug in the charger.

"Seven thirty..." She yawned, stretching her arms over her head.

Tooru's reaction was delayed but comedic all the same, practically dragging himself from the blankets- getting tangled and almost tripping over multiple times before reaching for a brush, attempting to calm his chaotic mass of locks before peering at her; Saiko still staring at him vacantly; head tilted ever so slightly to the side.

"We're going to be late-," He moaned, reaching for a jacket that had sometime last night been discarded across the back of a couch.

That was right! She dug through her thoughts briefly, attempting to file through last nights occurrences and sure enough there was a urgent text from the higher ups demanding their presence in- Half an hour?

Exhaustion nipped at her heels as she rose to her feet, each limb feeling as if it were filled to the brim with lead. She drew on a coat, a pair of shoes and shoved one particularly stubborn lock behind her ear "I'm ready-" She announced, looking as if she'd just been blown in by gale force winds.

Her comrade stared at her for a moment, a small almost tender smile adorning his features and without a moment of hesitation he strode across the room, brush in hand; making it his duty to tame that unruly bed-hair and by the time they left the room five minutes later both of them appeared almost presentable.

XXX

XX

XXX

(Tooru's P.O.V)

x

The office was cramped and the tension so thick it was almost suffocating; once again the two of them opted to be listeners rather than voicing their own opinion on the matter- Besides, it was probably better they not know about Sasaki-San, as much as it pained him to admit...

"There's has been a sighting of the ghouls recently and a source informs us that a meeting location has been secured."

"A meeting sight?" A feminine voice piqued up, silencing the commander "What do you mean "Meeting location" Surely they wouldn't give away something so vital to just anyone."

She had a valid point- The ghouls had become more and more discreet with their assaults; leaving the CCG with little time to retaliate before they'd dissipated into the shadows once more- But why now? Why this suddenly leakage of information? He was sure that's what this woman was wondering..

"We have an inside source," He boomed, tapping a single calloused finger against the black board that loomed over him "Either way- They've designated this abandoned manufacturing facility as a place of congregation and we also, shall be there. Our assault will not occur during this particular meeting as for now we are doing nothing but gathering intel. Do you understand?"

He flashed a glare to a particular section of the from and those residing there responded with scornful sneers "We understand," A particularly lanky male replied, his words slick with mock. Tooru noted this and also the fact that these types couldn't be trusted-

"And if they attack us?" Another voice joined in the choir, inquiry gaining quite a bit of attention from the other attendees "What do we do then? Are we to simply fall back? What if there are casualties?"

"If that happens we attack, taking out as many of them as possible and preventing causalities." He stated though such seemed implausible against such odds- But he dared not speak up, sparing a fleeting sideward glance as Saiko who's eyes were fixed on the commander.

"If that is all meet me at eleven tonight, we'll discuss the plan further, dismissed."

They slithered out of the room and he was careful to remained flanked to Saiko not particularly wanting to run into a venomous reptilian on this particular venture "It's going to be alright," She stated, though almost under her breath, her eyes slicing through Tooru's concerned mien "He's going to be there...I know it."

XXX

XX

XXX

(Saiko's P.O.V)

x

The bitter winds nipped at her heels, the chill of the evening settling throughout the vicinity with no promise of lifting in the near future and from the protective gear they wore it was obvious they too felt the cold.

"Group A," The commander addressed Saiko's assemblage with a fleeting glance "You'll be in charge of a distraction if required. Group B and C will be taking down any information they may become vital and D, you're look out- If anything down below looks suspicious report it immediately"

And with that they dispersed.

Saiko's 'Squad' was made up of her and Tooru as well as a young investigator by the name Ko; from what she knew about him he was an arrogant brat but knew how to wield his Quinque adeptly "I can't believe I got stuck working with you guys of all people," Ko Droned, lanky arms hovering behind his head in a bowed manner.

They weren't exactly pleased to be grouped off with him either, yet they two opted to remain silent; the path before them bathed in such.

"You aren't even going to talk to me?" He muttered, sparing them a sour glance "Real hospitable of you," His dark orbs locked forward as they approached their position; the awkwardness never quite dissipating.

They each claimed a position atop a nearby decrepit building; surveying the group below. This was the place, supposedly the ghouls they'd been tailing were to meet up here for some reason or another- Though it wasn't their duty to be nosy, if anything they were to provide enough distraction for the others to escape if things went pair shaped- Not something she exactly was 'Looking forward to.'

Her shoulders slumped, eyes falling closed briefly but then Tooru let out a small sound of surprise enough so that it captivated her attention, drawing her hues to the ground below for there; almost obscured through the thickening fog was a familiar figure- One that had her heart freezing beyond the confines of her rib-cage.

Haise-


End file.
